Job responsibilities
- First
contact management of patients presenting with mental health problems
within scope of experience, making any necessary referrals to other
members of the primary health care team.
- Ensure
clinical practice is safe and effective and remains within boundaries of
competence, and to acknowledge limitations.
- Advise
patients on mental health care, with referral to other members of the
primary and secondary health care team as necessary.
- Identify and manage appropriately acute
mental health presentations (Suicidal ideation, self-harming, depression, low
mood, anxiety etc).
- Manage
ongoing mental health needs – conduct follow-up appointments with patients
to support their needs.
- Prescribe
appropriate medication (dependent on experience) and conduct thorough
medication reviews.
Clinical
Practice:
The Mental Nurse Practitioner will work as part
of the full clinical team as well as an autonomous professional in a
self-directed manner, with confidence, authority, and expertise, undertaking
comprehensive range of clinical assessments/procedures within the Practice.
They will have responsibility for patient caseload, ensuring all patients have
an accurate plan of care, which reflects the assessment undertaken and
incorporate the issues and recommendations made.
The Mental Health Nurse Practitioner will
assess individuals, families, and populations holistically, using a range of
different assessment methods, using health promotion and prevention strategies;
and comprehensively assess patients for risk factors and early signs of
illness.
The Mental Health Nurse Practitioner will be
expected to interpret and analyse complex clinical and non-clinical facts to
form accurate diagnoses, prognoses for a wide range of conditions, to recommend
/ deliver the best course of intervention including the development of
comprehensive packages of care.
The Mental Health Nurse Practitioner will plan,
manage, and complete episodes of care, working in partnership with others and
delegating /referring as appropriate; to optimise health outcomes and resource
use, as well as providing direct support to patients and colleagues. They will
use professional judgement in managing complex and unpredictable care events
and capture the learning from these experiences to improve patient care and
service delivery.
The Mental Health Nurse Practitioner will
always maintain a high standard of patient focused care in accordance with
practice policies and protocols. They will actively involve patients and
families in providing feedback of their experience and suggestions for
improvements.
Exemplary patient care
and satisfaction is crucial, and the post holder will ensure the very highest
standards of care are provided for our patients, providing an environment where
they are engaged with, cared for, and their privacy and dignity maintained at
all times.
Administration and
professional responsibilities
· Participate
in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team. Ensure
accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in
the patient’s notes. Ensure
the clinical computer system is kept up to date, with accurate details recorded
and amended.
· Ensure
collection and maintenance of statistical information required for regular and
ad hoc reports and audit.
Training and personal
development
· Source of
contact for updating the clinical team on changes to current mental health
practice.
· Training
requirements will be monitored by yearly appraisal and will be in accordance
with practice requirements. Personal development will be encouraged and
supported by the practice. It is the individuals’ responsibility to remain up
to date with recent developments.
Liaison
· As well as
working within the clinical team, there is a need to work closely with reception,
admin, and other non-clinical staff to ensure the smooth running of the practice,
reporting any problems encountered to the relevant person and ensuring everyone
is aware of the different roles within the nursing team.
Meetings
· It will
be necessary to attend and contribute to various practice meetings as
requested.
Confidentiality:
· In the
course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather,
sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right
to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately.
· In the
performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may
have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers,
practice staff and other healthcare workers.
They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a
business organisation. All such information from any source is to be
regarded as strictly confidential.
Health & safety:
The post-holder will promote and
manage their own health and safety and infection control, as defined in the
practice Health & Safety policy, the practice Health & Safety manual,
and the practice Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will
include (but will not be limited to):
· Using
personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines.
· Awareness
of national standards of infection control and cleanliness and regulatory /
contractual / professional requirements, and good practice guidelines.
· Responsible
for correct and safe management of the specimen’s process, including
collection, labelling, handling, use of correct and clean containers, storage,
and transport arrangements.
· Identifying
the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way
that manages those risks across clinical and patient process.
· Monitoring
practice facilities and equipment in relation to infection control, ensuring
that provision of hand-cleansing facilities, wipes etc. are sufficient to
ensure a good clinical working environment. Lack of facilities to be escalated
as appropriate.
· Safe
management of sharps procedures, including training, use, storage, and disposal.
· Using
appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy, clean,
and sterile, and safe way, free from hazards. Initiation of remedial /
corrective action where needed or escalation to responsible management.
· Keeping
own work areas and general / patient areas generally clean, sterile,
identifying issues and hazards / risks in relation to other work areas within
the business, and assuming responsibility in the maintenance of general
standards of cleanliness across the business in consultation (where
appropriate) with other sector managers.
· Demonstrate
due regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
Equality and diversity:
The
post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers,
and colleagues, to include:
- Acting in a way
that recognises the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a
way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current
legislation.
- Respecting the
privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers, and colleagues.
- Behaving in a
manner that is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and
respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal/Professional development:
The
post-holder will participate in any training programme implemented by the practice
as part of this employment.
Quality:
The
post-holder will strive to maintain quality.
Communication:
The post-holder
should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team.
Contribution to the implementation of services:
The
post-holder will:
- Apply practice
policies, standards, and guidance.
- Discuss with other
members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect
own work.
Participate in audit where appropriate
Other locations include:
ROPEWALKS 26 Argyle Street Liverpool L1 5DL
PEMBROKE PLACE 70 Pembroke Place Liverpool L69 3GF
STUDENT HEALTH University of Liverpool Peach Street,
Liverpool L69 7ZL
MARYBONE 2 Vauxhall Road Liverpool L3 2BG
PRINCES PARK Bentley Road Liverpool L8 0SY